You're a Good Guy, Jimmy
by casgetoutofmyassbutt
Summary: Dean and Castiel find themselves in Purgatory with Castiel's grace running on low. They think all is saved when they find the one way out of purgatory. Dean makes it out, and only part of Castiel makes it out. With only a reserve level of grace left in his system, Castiel was only able to get his vessel back to Earth, Jimmy. Destiel.
1. The Angel in Purgatory

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Supernatural. They dutifully belong to Kripke Enterprises and the CW._**

_I once had a relatively normal life. I had a beautiful wife, Amelia. I had a smart, little girl, Claire. I was as devoted to my family as I was to God. I had a normal life until I was chosen for something greater. _

_My name is Jimmy Novak, and I am from Pontiac, Illinois._

Twigs and dried leaves crunched underneath Dean's combat boots. His hot breath formed clouds in front of his face as he ran through the dark, cold forest. He dodged tree branches left and right, jumped over fallen, mossed covered logs, and kept a look out for the monsters lurking in the darkness. After being in that forest for so long, Dean's eyes had become adjusted to the darkness. He stopped for a second to catch his breath, and for his companion to catch up with him. "Hurry up, Cas!" Dean yelled into the darkness. A few moments later, an angel in a dirty trench coat appeared from the shadows. He looked weary, with deep bags under his eyes and his beard had grown out thickly.

"It's not safe to stop here." Castiel leaned against a tree. He was clearly exhausted from running non-stop "The Leviathans will find us if we stay." Castiel was drained. Dean had seen it more and more the past few days. Had they been days? Times seemed to pass by so strangely in the forests of purgatory. But with each passing _day_ Castiel used up more and more of his mojo fighting off monster after monster and deterring Leviathan from their path.

"You're the one who needs a breather." Dean chuckled, but when Castiel pushed away from the tree he was using for support and wobbled, Dean was instantly at the angel's side. "Whoa there." Dean placed a hand on Castiel's chest, pushing him to standing straight once more. "Come on, Cas. We're close to being out of here. I can't have you dying on me."

"I will not die, Dean." Castiel took a deep, raspy breath. He gathered up all of his strength and stood on his own. "I cannot die and leave you in this world." Castiel raised his hand to touch a cut on Dean's forehead. A small shimmer of light radiated from his fingertips and healed the injury. Castiel winced and took a step back. After a few deep breaths from the angel, he spoke again. "Let's keep going." Castiel would heal Dean before he healed himself. It would always be that way. Dean understood why, though. He felt the same way. They shared a _profound_ bond, and Castiel would do anything to keep it that way.

There were rumors of a way out of purgatory. Purgatory was a place for monsters. It was their hell. It wasn't a place for humans. Which was all that Dean was. He could feel it too; he didn't belong in that forest. It wasn't natural. Castiel on the other hand, he seemed to be turning into something else from being in that dark forest. Even though Castiel was a semi-immortal being. Dean was still worried about his flame going out. That little glimmer of power that always surrounded Castiel was gone in purgatory. Dean was determined to get it back because he couldn't bare the thought of Castiel failing. He caught up with Castiel in a few steps and the two walked slowly together through the dark forest. Once they were in the clear, their tense shoulders loosened.

"I'd give us about three hours of peace. We steered pretty clear from everything around here." Dean rolled his neck, the joints popped. He then sat down against a tree. Castiel stood mere feet away and watched as Dean pulled his coat tighter around him. The thing about purgatory was that if you weren't running from monsters that would kill you, you were dying from the cold darkness. "Wish we could build a fire or something." Dean stared in front of him, imagining the flames dancing before his eyes.

"I could-" Castiel paused, thinking of the consequences of his future actions. Dean gave him a questioning look. " I could share my warmth with you." It was a simple solution, but Castiel didn't know if Dean's personal space issues were still there.

Dean didn't even have to think twice. He patted the dirt ground next to him and gave a weak smile. "What are you waiting for? The cold only gets colder around here. " Castiel felt heat rose in his body. He shrugged his dirty trench coat off and sat next to Dean. He then wrapped the coat around his and Dean's shoulders. Dean scooted a bit closer to Castiel and felt the warmth of the angel. "It's weird, that you can stay so warm in a place like this. I would be dead from pneumonia if you hadn't been around."

"It's your soul that heats my grace. In fact, I would be dead if you weren't here." Castiel pursed his lips and huddled in on himself. His side pressed against Dean's. The warmth spread throughout their bodies and the two were content for the moment. Dean snaked his arm around Castiel's, resting his head on the angel's shoulder and intertwining his dirty fingers with Castiel's. His eyelids fell heavily over his green eyes and he drifted off to sleep, knowing Castiel would watch over him.

Castiel sat there, huddled next to Dean and holding his cold, human hand in his own. Castiel willed his grace to warm Dean, to give him all that he needed. The action left Castiel weak. When he was on Earth, he had a view of the heavens and a pathway for more power to fuel his body, but in a world that is cut off from everything, Castiel was a battery on low. He stroked his thumb across the top of Dean's hand. Time passed on slowly in the dark forest. Castiel kept a weary eye out for anything that was out to harm them. Soon, Castiel could hear footsteps off in the distance. They weren't too close, but not far enough away for them to be safe. He turned to Dean and shook him awake.

"Wha-? What's going on?" Dean shot up, eyes wide, trying to figure out why Castiel raised him from his sleep. His head whipped back and forth, looking into the shadows that surrounded them. Castiel merely, pulled him from the ground and put his arms back through his dirty, coat sleeves. He pressed a finger to Dean's lips to silence him. They listened for more footsteps. They had picked up. They sounded closer.

"We need to go." Castiel never let go of Dean's hand. At first he led the way into the forest, away from the creatures that were following them, then Dean awoke fully and gained the lead. "It's the Leviathan, Dean." Castiel knew their every move. He spent so long with them inside his own body, that they were like an extension of his own being. Which made it difficult to get them off their trail. Dean ran faster, the muscles in his legs working at full capacity. It was a wonder why he hadn't died of starvation because he had lost so much weight from the constant running and fighting. He figured it had something to do with Castiel again. It always had something to do with the angel.

"How far behind?" Dean called back to Castiel who was only an arms length away from him. They ran for a long while until they needed to stop. They needed to catch their breath and possibly prepare for a fight. It wouldn't be the first time they needed to fight a nasty leviathan, but it would be the first time that they weren't at full charge. Which wasn't a good thing. Dean had a hard enough time moving faster than the purgatory scum, but he needed Castiel there to help him take them down. They were different in purgatory than they were on Earth. They were more powerful in their natural habitat, while Dean and Castiel weren't so lucky.

"They're going to be here soon. Stand back." Castiel stood defensively in front of Dean, hands clenched into fists. Dean stood back for a moment, seeing Castiel's shoulder shake from the lack of strength left in his body. He couldn't handle it anymore.

"No, you stand back. You're angel mojo is just about out. So sit tight, blue eyes." Dean pulled Castiel back behind him with one hand while he held his large machete-like blade in the other. The footsteps grew louder and louder. Dean and Castiel frantically searched the woods around them. The shadows shrouded everything, making it near impossible to spot the leviathans. Then, out from the shadows, shot a black, oozing mass. It crashed by Dean's feet and formed into a creature before his eyes. "Shit!" Dean readied his blade.

"Found you." The leviathan tilted his head, cracking its neck and letting the tar like substance drip from its features. Another leviathan shot behind Dean as Castiel. They were now on a one on one battle with the monsters. Dean had to let Castiel fight. He couldn't defeat two leviathans on his own. He needed Castiel, even though he knew it would cause the angel to become even weaker.

"You sure you got this, Cas?" Dean called over his shoulder, watching Castiel walk over to the Leviathan with only slightly glowing hands. He wasn't at full power and Dean feared for his life.

"I am an angel of the lord. I can handle these monstrosities." Castiel gazed at dean long and hard. He then put all of his strength together and went on the offensive. He lunged forward, reaching for the leviathan. One touch from his graced hands would disintegrate the creature. Castiel got the leviathan farther away from Dean so that one against one didn't turn into two on one. Dean saw that Castiel was holding his own when he went after the leviathan on his side. The humanoid creature opened its mouth, its face ripping at the sides to reveal the larger mouth that took up most of the face. It jumped at Dean, catching the hunter off guard and knocking him to the ground. Dean kicked his legs out and pushed the leviathan off of his body. He then got to his feet once more, swinging his blade and lopping off the leviathan's head right at the neck. It wouldn't kill the monster, but would keep him from coming back for a while. Dean turned to help Castiel, but couldn't find the angel or the monster.

"Cas?" Dean listened in the air. He had lost sight of his companion during his scuffle with one of the leviathan. "CAS?!" He yelled a little louder. He then saw the ravine off in the distance. It was steep, too hard to climb down without some sort of rope system. He ran to the edge and saw the broken foliage. It showed a clear path to the bottom. Dean then saw the trench coat. _No…. Cas….Come on buddy, get up._ Dean frantically watched as the trench coated figure stirred on the ground and picked up his head. "You alright, Cas!?" Dean called down to his angel companion. Castiel sat up from the ground, his face covered in mud and blood. He looked up to Dean at the top of the ravine. He nodded so that Dean could see. His back was to the hunter as he tried to stand up. He gripped his stomach and doubled over, blood filled his hands.

Dean's eyes widened with worry. He wasn't sure what kind of damage Castiel has sustained. He only knew that he had to get to his angel's side before more leviathan decided to show up. He assessed the situation of the steep ravine and came to the conclusion that the only way he was going to get down there was if he just went. So he took the first step, and slipped in some loose dirt. He held onto small saplings as he made his way down to Castiel. He was there next to Castiel the next moment, having made it all the way down with only a few new smudges of dirt on his clothes.

"You okay?" He asked.

Castiel shook his head. "I'll be fine in a moment." Castiel wiped his blood stained hands on his trench coat. The dirty, white shirt he was wearing underneath was drenched in blood. His wound had healed itself, but the evidence was still there. Dean placed a hand on Castiel's shoulder, turning him around to get a good look. His eyes widened in shock. "It's nothing, Dean. I am fine. I am already healed."

"Did it get you?" Dean asked, looking around for the leviathan. He couldn't find the monster anywhere, which meant that either Castiel touched it with his graced hands, or it ran off.

"Yes, I defeated the leviathan." Castiel said gruffly. He stood straight and kept wiping his hands on his coat. His vessel took longer to heal than before, which was a sure sign that he was about to run out of angel mojo.

"Alright, well let's get going then." Dean patted Castiel on the shoulder before grabbing his hand in his own and twisting his fingers with Castiel's. "That exit has got to be around here somewhere." Dean could feel it in his soul. It was a tugging feeling that pulled at his insides, urging him towards the hole in purgatory. The forest wanted to spit him out of it. Dean was not supposed to be there, but he wasn't going to leave by himself. Castiel was coming with him, no questions asked. If he had to shove him through the eye of the needle, he would.

"Dean." Castiel said weakly. He kept still, hand still connected to Dean's, stopping Dean in his tracks. Dean looked away. "Dean, you know I can't-"

"Don't say it." Dean commanded. "I am getting you out of here." Dean turned, his face hard. "And you can't say a damn thing against it. Even if it kills me, I am getting you out of here." Dean then yanked Castiel's hand, pulling him close to his body and grabbing his chin. "Don't say it, Cas." He kissed Castiel softly and then they began walking off into the darkness of the forest.

_ I remember waking up one day in a pile of rubble. My body hurt in way I had never experienced. My head my pounding, and all I could hear was the name of the angel being called. Cas. Cas. Always Cas. My name is Jimmy, I thought. It's me. Jimmy. _

_Castiel is gone._

The large river covered a decent square mileage of purgatory. Dean and Castiel had run into it on occasion, which was a godsend on their part. They were able to clean up, drink up, and even catch a few fish to eat when they deemed it necessary to build a fire. Dean and Castiel stood before the waters and looked to the other side. Dean had felt it pulling on him. He took a step into the water, the clear liquid rushing over his combat boot, washing off the mud that caked on the leather. He then took another step, both feet in the water this time.

"It's there, Cas. I feel it." Dean pointed ahead of himself into the thick of the trees. A small glow made its way through the foliage. "Come on. There's no bridge, so we gotta get a little wet." Dean extended his arm out for Castiel, but the angel hesitated. It wouldn't be such a big deal for him to trek through the waters of the river if he hadn't remembered the last time he waded into the water. It was so cold, and so dark. They wanted out. They were going to tear him apart. They- "Cas, come one buddy."

"Dean." Castiel grabbed Dean's hand and was pulled forward by the hunter. He obliged to passing through the river, but hated every moment of it. With Dean at his side, showing him the way to the land on the other side, it was going to be okay. The middle of the river was deep, both Dean and Castiel lost their footing. The current was strong, but the two managed to find the ground under the water again and make it to the other side. They climbed out of the water and sat on the shoreline for a moment, the chill of their wet clothes settled in.

"Almost there." Dean grinned a little at Castiel, hopping up from the ground and giving Castiel a hand. Castiel reached for Dean's hand, but his limbs failed him and he was still. "Come on, Cas. You're so slow. It's like you don't want to get out of here."

"Dean stop. Something is wrong." Castiel managed to raise his shaking hand up from his lap. He stared at it for a few moments and then started to breath heavier. The small amount of light that had tinged his finger was down to a dull glow. His body was in shut down mode, reserving all that was left of his grace before his body failed him. Normally he would have been shot back up to heaven by that point, but he wasn't sure what would happen to him in purgatory.

"Just get up. I mean we're so close." Dean looked down at Castiel. Worry was in his mossy, green eyes. Dean could see it. The healthy glow in Castiel's face was fading fast. "I'll- I'll carry you. Yeah, that's what I'll do. Come on cupid, we're getting out of here."

"I am not Cupid. He is revolting. I know you know this." Castiel pouted, he had enough strength to lift his arms to make it easier for Dean to pull him to his feet, but that was all he had. Castiel leaned heavily against Dean, until the hunter scooped his angel up and struggled for a moment to carry him. "Your soul is very warm." He said, laying his cheek against Dean's arm, feeling the place where he had raised Dean from hell. It was healing his grace ever so slightly.

"Yeah, yeah." Dean readjusted Castiel in his arms and carried him towards the tree line one step at a time. He soon made it to the source of the tugging on his body. He set Castiel on his feet, but kept a hold around his waist. Castiel held on with an arm around Dean's shoulders. The source was a large glowing orb in the sky, and there they were, hunter and angel, standing before the exit of purgatory. "Ready?"

Castiel nodded, never wanting to leave somewhere as much as he wanted out of purgatory. "Back to Sam?"

Dean chuckled. "Yeah, back to Sammy." He took a step forward, holding tightly onto Castiel. The pulling became stronger and lifted Dean into the air. It didn't pull at Castiel, but Dean held on with his life. He was bringing his angel with him if it was the last thing he did. "Hold on, Cas!" He yelled, air whipped around them fiercely. Dean felt Castiel at his side the entire time. A bright light blinded him momentarily, but he knew they made it out of there together because when he opened his eyes in the real world the first thing he saw was Cas.

Dean pushed himself up from the ground. His whole body felt like it had been taken apart piece by piece and then crudely stitched back together. He figured Castiel felt the same way by the way the angel was struggled to sit up. "You good?" Dean asked, placing a dirty hand on Castiel's shoulder. "Cas?"

Castiel quickly turned, blue eye bright in confusion. "What happened? Where am I?" His voice wasn't as deep. It spiked in some areas and was filled with emotion. He looked down at himself and looked at his hands. "Oh no, oh no, no, no." He stood up and swayed, Dean jumping to his feet to catch his angel.

"What's wrong?" Dean steadied Castiel and took a step back. "Wait…" He took a look at the man standing in front of him. "Son of a bitch."

The man grabbed at his trench coat and brushed off some of the dirt on his clothes, though the stains would never come out. "You got that right, Dean Winchester."

Dean only knew of another person who could be Castiel, without actually being Castiel. "Jimmy!?"


	2. An Unlikely Reunion

_I woke up with the last memory burning in my head. Castiel inhabited my daughter as I was dying from the wounds inflicted by my possessed wife. I choked on my blood. I begged. I begged for him to take my body back and save my family. Save my wife. Save my little girl. That memory was clear in my head when I woke up in that room next to that older Winchester brother._

_But why was I there?_

Dean stared in awe at the man in front of him. "How?" He mouthed, reaching out to touch Jimmy's face, still bearded and dirty just like Castiel's. Jimmy stepped back. He wasn't comfortable with Dean touching him like Castiel was used to. "Where is Castiel?" Dean was calm at first, but when Jimmy just stared at him in silence, lost for words, he lost his temper. "Where is he!?" Dean grabbed Jimmy by the collar of his trench coat. He held the fabric tight in his fists. His green eyes were fiery with confused rage.

"Hey, hold on. I'm just as confused as you are!" Jimmy pushed at Dean's hands. Dean strength raised him from the ground, only the tips of his shoes touching the wooden floor beneath him. "Come on now, just put me down already." Jimmy nervously chuckled. "I'm sure we will figure something out."

Dean let out an exaggerated sigh, knowing he wasn't in the right mindset. He placed Jimmy back down on his feet. "Sorry, man." He said under his breath. Dean then looked around the room and got a sense of where purgatory had spat them out. The wooden floor creaked under their feet. They were in some abandoned house, on the top floor by the look of it. Dean walked over to the broken window. The sun was out and Dean had to look away. The brightness was too much for his purgatory adapted eyes. He scanned the area. Cornfields surrounded the abandoned farmhouse. Not much was familiar about house, other than the 67' Chevy Impala parked in the gravel driveway. "BABY!" Dean yelled and quickly turned on his feet, heading for the exit of the room. He stopped and looked back at Jimmy who was still in awe by what happened. He was just standing there, pulling at his clothes and staring at his scarred hands. "Hey, Jim-boy. Come on, dude." Dean ordered, waving Jimmy over to the door.

Dean wrenched open the rotten, wooden door only to have a shotgun pointed at his face with his brother behind it. Dean's green eyes opened wide. He stared down the barrel of the shotgun. A droplet of sweat trickled down the side of his face. "H-hey." Dean gulped nervously. "Sammy." Dean held his hands up in defense, but Sam stared him down, shotgun never turning away from Dean's head. "It's me, Sammy. It's Dean."

"My brother is dead." Sam said harshly, the sides of his mouth twitching as he spoke. He took a step forward, pressing the gun closer to Dean's forehead. He pushed Dean back into the room and glared over at Jimmy. "You think this is funny?" He asked, spitting venom with each word. His hair was longer than Dean had remembered. How long had it been? Time passed by differently in Purgatory. Who knew what the date was exactly in the real world?

"Hey, why don't we put the gun down, Sam?" Jimmy asked nervously, hands up like Dean. He took a step forward, but Sam cocked the shotgun and shot at his feet.

"Don't move." Sam held the shotgun with one hand, while he grabbed Dean roughly on the shoulder and yanked him over to Jimmy. He then pointed the gun at them both. "Now, how did you find me, what do you want?" Sam glanced around the room wearily, looking for any other imposters. Once he saw that no one was there, he turned his attention back to the two men standing in front of him. They looked like his brother and Castiel, only dirtier and beaten up a bit. Although, Sam knew that they had disappeared three years ago when the whole Dick Roman scandal went down. So why were they standing in front of him now?

"Sam it's really me. Silver blade me. Holy water. That cleaning crap we use on leviathans. Even do an exorcism. It's me, Sam. I'm not dead." Dean carefully pulled his shirt collar down to reveal his anti-possession tattoo. "Not a demon." Dean then pulled a small silver pocketknife from his pants. He rolled his sleeve up and sliced a thin line on his forearm. It stung, but didn't burn like it would for other creatures. "Not a werewolf." He pulled his lip up, revealing his gums. "Not a blood sucker. Just me." Dean sighed when Sam lowered his shotgun with a confused look on his face.

Jimmy shrugged his trench coat off, revealing a dirty hospital get up underneath. "This is cute and all, but what the hell is going-" Jimmy was stopped with a splash of water to the face. "-on?" It was cold and completely unexpected. The holy water seeped into his white shirt. Dean had gotten the same thing. The two looked at each other, dripping with holy water. Then they looked over at Sam, holding a small flask with a cross stamped into it. He stood back in awe. The water didn't burn them.

"Dean? Cas?" Sam set his shotgun down. Dean grinned at his little brother and nodded. They joined together in a tight hug. Dean felt even shorter than Sam from before. There was no way his brother could have grown any more within the time frame that he was in Purgatory. He pulled back, holding Sam by the arm. He smiled up at his little brother. It was nice to see another human, especially one that he was related to.

"How long has it been, a few months?" Dean asked, patting Sam on the back and then glanced back at Jimmy. He thought of all the time he spent in purgatory with Castiel. All of the moments they shared. Every touch. Every kiss. All of it now lost in the deep depths of Jimmy Novak's mind. Dean gripped Jimmy's shoulder and squeezed it ever so slightly. He kept himself from feeling sad. He had gotten Castiel back before when Jimmy showed up out of nowhere, he could do it again. "Time's weird in purgatory."

Sam lost the color in his face. "Purgatory?" Sam gulped down the build up in his throat. "Dean, you've been in purgatory for this long?" Sam's hazel eyes were wide with disbelief. He felt Dean's grip on his arm get tighter.

"How long, Sam?" Dean asked, staring his brother straight in the eyes. "How long has it been, Sam?" Dean nervously chuckled. "It couldn't have been that long." He glanced back at Jimmy, who was also waiting for Sam's answer. Yet Sam was silent and shock was apparent on his older face.

"Three years, Dean." Sam finally breathed after choking on the shock of it all. His face crumpled with sad happiness. Tears formed in his eyes when he realized that it was actually his big brother standing in front of him. He pulled his brother into another hug, the tears falling down his cheeks as he smiled. "I've thought you've been dead for three years." Dean just let his brother hug him and break down in his arms. He wrapped his arms around Sam, not knowing how much he had missed his brother while in purgatory.

As the brothers were sharing their moment in the middle of the drafty room, Jimmy stood there, trench coat in his arms, tapping his foot. "Come one guys, enough with the brotherly love. It's a little creepy." Jimmy tapped Dean on the shoulder. Dean pulled back, looking back at Jimmy. Sam did the same. The brothers parted and took a step from each other. "That's better." Jimmy sighed. Then his stomach growled loudly, echoing off the empty walls of the farmhouse room. "You don't suppose you have anything to eat around here?"

"Jimmy?" Sam asked, looking a bit closer at the man. Jimmy rolled his eyes and his stomach growled again, this time louder. "Man, I thought you were long gone." Sam rubbed the back of his neck. He looked over at Dean whose stomach was also gurgling from a lack of food. "Yeah. Food. I got some down in the kitchen." Sam's brow furrowed. He leaned down to the floor and picked up his shotgun. "This way." He jerked his head towards the door, leading the two others out of the room. They made their way down the stairs. Each step creaked under there feet. Dean saw Jimmy holding onto the railing tightly. He frowned, knowing that Jimmy must be in pain from all that happened in purgatory. Dean felt it too. His energy was completely drained. He just wanted to eat and then sleep for days.

Sam led them into the kitchen. An ice cooler sat on the counter. Dean felt his mouth get unbelievably dry. The beer inside the cooler was calling his name. He automatically made his way over to the cooler and pulled two brews from the ice. He threw one over at Sam and then looked over at Jimmy. "Do you drink?" He asked, knowing Castiel didn't, but that didn't mean that Jimmy Novak didn't.

"I need something alcoholic." Jimmy said. Dean handed him the beer bottle in his hand and then picked out another from the cooler for himself. Jimmy plopped down in one of the chairs surrounding the wooden table in the kitchen. He popped the cap of the beer bottle off on the edge of the table. He then sighed, rubbing his forehead and placing the cool bottle against his hot skin. "Last time it was chained to a comet. This time around I was thrown through a black hole. I'm not doing this again. No sir. No way. I already gave up so much. It's not my fault Castiel let go of-"

Dean slammed his beer bottle down on the counter. His body shook with anger. "Shut up, Jimmy." He ordered and placed the beer bottle at his lips once more. He took down another swig of beer. His green eyes darkened as he glared at Jimmy. "I'm getting him back." Dean chugged the rest of his beer and threw the bottle against the far wall. It smashed, throwing glass all over the dirty floor of the kitchen. Dean's chest rose and fell as he breathed in deeply. "I am getting Cas back, and you will give that body back to him." Dean towered over Jimmy, sitting at the kitchen table. "You hear me?"

"Dean, come on, man." Sam stood next to his brother, trying to calm him down, but nothing seemed to work. "We can't force him." Sam placed a hand on Dean's shoulder, but the older Winchester shrugged him off. "Dean."

Jimmy stared up at Dean, his deep blue eyes narrowing. "I have a family to go back to." He said harshly. "I have a wife! A daughter!" Jimmy stood up, pushing Dean back. "You can't stop me." Jimmy pushed at Dean's chest. "You hear _me_?" Jimmy pushed Dean's chest once more. Dean then grabbed Jimmy's wrists. His grip was hard at first. When Jimmy glared at Dean, he saw something in the older Winchester's eyes. Sadness. Dean's grip loosened and he finally let go. Jimmy reached for his dirty trench coat and slipped it on before walking out of the kitchen and out the front door of the house.

Dean stood in silence. His younger brother stood next to him and patted him on the back. "How about that food? I can grill up some burgers." Sam half-grinned. Dean looked up at him and half-grinned himself.

He nodded, sitting down in the chair that Jimmy had just been sitting in. "I can grill. Go find Jimmy. He most likely has no idea where he is, or where he is going." When Sam showed him where all the food was, he left Dean sitting in the kitchen as he went outside to find Jimmy. Dean sat there for a moment before getting up and pulling out the burgers from the cooler across the room, the one without the beer. Next he lit up the stove, pulling a pan from one of the broken cupboards. He blew the dust off of it and placed it on top of the stove. He sighed heavily, knowing he would have to apologize to Jimmy. He was just so on edge about losing Castiel. "But how do I get him back?"

Sam stepped outside of the large farmhouse. He stood on the edge of the porch, looking out into the cornfields. He scanned the area for Jimmy. The sun has started to set on the fields, causing them to glow golden in the fall light. The wind picked up around the fields and swayed the large stocks of corn. "Hey! Jimmy! We're making burgers!" Sam called out with his hands cupped around his mouth to project his voice further. "Come on! It's going to get cold out here soon!" Sam's hair flipped back in the wind. He squinted against the setting sun. "Jimmy!" Sam took a step off the porch and looked around once more. He soon saw Jimmy walking back from the road off in the distance. His trench coat was whipping around his legs. The wind had died down when Jimmy made it back to the house. He grumbled and pushed past Sam, back into the warmth and protection of the house.

Dean flipped the burgers in the pan. Some grease spit out at him, hitting his skin. Dean flinched, but could handle it. After all, he had spent _three_ years in purgatory being chased by monsters. He could handle a little hot grease. Especially since the outcome of the grease would be a fat juicy burger. His mouth salivated at the smell of them. He couldn't remember the last time he ate anything so delicious as what he was about to eat. Once the burgers were done he threw some cheese on top of them, grabbed the Ketchup and buns. Not much since they didn't have the room for much in the ice cooler, but enough to satisfy their stomachs.

"Grub time!" Dean called out, placing three mismatch plates on the wooden, kitchen table. First Jimmy walked in, Dean looked down at his plate, trying his best not to mess up anymore. He dug right into his burger, savoring every bite. Jimmy sat down, mouth salivating just like Dean's did. He was just as hungry. He had been in purgatory just as long as Dean, but taken over by an angel for much longer. He bit into the burger and melted. Everything was just right, and he was happy to be alive more than ever before.

Sam sat, eating his burger also. He watched Dean and Jimmy. The tension between the two was eating up the air around them. Everyone was silent, which was probably best for all of them. Sam knew that in time his brother would talk about purgatory, but for the time being he most likely just wanted to pass out with a beer in hand. That was entirely the case since Dean got up from the table, putting his plate in the sink that didn't work, grabbing a beer from the cooler, and heading for the moth eaten sofa in the small living room.

"So, Jimmy…" Sam smiled shyly at Jimmy. "I got an extra razor and whatnot if you want to clean up a bit. You look rough, man. You can borrow some clothes too." Sam waited for a response, but Jimmy kept silent. He continued to eat his burger until he was licking his fingers. He then stood up from the table and rolled his neck, releasing some pent up stress. "The stuff is just down the hall. I think I got the shower working."

Jimmy smiled. "Thanks Sam." He walked past the younger Winchester. "Really, thanks." Jimmy sneaked past the living room, where Dean was already passed out on the couch. He saw the duffle bag on the floor next to a door in the small hallway. He opened the door slowly and found it to be the bathroom. He grabbed the bag and stepped inside the bathroom. He shut the door softly behind himself and turned the lock. The click of the lock gave Jimmy a sense of safety.

He set the duffle bag down on the dirty, tiled ground. He then stood in front of the sink, hands clasped tight to the edge of the porcelain. He stared at the mirror for a long time. He stared in disbelief at his image. One of his hands shakily made its way to touch his bearded face. He looked tired, spent, exhausted. He looked exactly how he felt. Jimmy shrugged from his clothes, and turned to the shower. He turned the handle in the shower and waited a few seconds before the water spit out sporadically. He quickly ran his hand through the water and waited for it to heat up. It got only a tad warm before he realized that no real hot water was going to come spilling out of the shower head. He stepped inside the shower, shying away from the water at first, but it soon seeped into his sore muscles and he drenched himself.

_You know what sucks? I can't escape this. I can never escape this. All because I said yes one time. I now have to deal with the life of being a vessel. Those Winchester brothers don't care about me. They just want their angel back. Dean wants Castiel back. Where is Castiel? What is this purgatory Dean keeps talking about? _

_What is going on?_

_Where am I?_

_Who am I?_

_What am I?_


	3. I Know What We Did in Purgatory

_Jimmy Novak was an ordinary man, living an ordinary life with a lovely family and everything I could ever ask for. I was just average, and that average quality about me got me noticed by the man upstairs. A vessel you say? Sure. Go forth Castiel; Jimmy Novak is your vessel. I am your vessel._

_What a mistake._

Jimmy stood in the shower until the water ran colder than it already was. He rubbed his face and felt the thick beard that had grown there. He reached for the nozzle to turn the shower off when his head blanked out. He stumbled in the shower, feeling light headed. He shook the feeling from his body and sighed heavily. Droplets of water sputtered from his lips. He held himself up by pushing against the wall. The lightheaded felling ceased to stop when he finally managed to turn the cold water off. He carefully stepped over the porcelain rim of the tub. He noticed his body shivering as he grabbed for a towel in the duffle bag on the ground.

Jimmy took the towel and ran it back and forth over his head to dry his hair. It took longer than he had remembered. His hair had grown quite a lot since the last time he took a shower. Castiel had only zapped himself clean. He never took the time to have some personal, human experiences. Jimmy shook the thought of Castiel from his mind. He had his body back. There was no sense in thinking about the angel that took over and ruined his body over and over again. Jimmy wrapped the towel around his waist and stood in front of the dirty mirror again. He checked his bearded face out from left to right. "Never liked beards." He grumbled. When he leaned down to search for a razor in the duffle bag, his head became light once more. He stood up, razor in hand. Before he had a chance to shave away the facial hair he swayed and fell hard to the ground. The thud was loud enough to be heard from the kitchen where Sam quickly got up and headed over towards the bathroom.

A knock came to the wooden, bathroom door. "You alright in there, Jimmy?" Sam asked, voice muffled by the wood. When Sam received no response, he jiggled the lock and knocked again. "Jimmy?" Again, with no response, Sam was getting antsy. He jiggled the lock once more before he pulled out his lock pick and got the door open. When he saw Jimmy on the floor, he couldn't help but be a little freaked out. "Dean! Wake up! We've got a problem!" Sam kneeled down next to Jimmy and flipped him over so that he was on his back. He leaned down and listened for Jimmy's heartbeat in his chest. When he heard the steady thumping, he sighed with relief.

Dean came running into the bathroom in a split second. His green eyes were wide with fright when he saw his lover's body on the floor. "Cas?" He said in a half, sleep-induced haze. He blinked a few times before kneeling next to Jimmy and tapped his cheek. "Hey, Jim-boy. Come on, man." He tapped Jimmy's cheek and sighed with relief when Jimmy hazily opened his eyes. His eyes were bright blue and confused. He tried sitting up from the cold ground, but Sam pushed him back down.

"You passed out. I think you better sit still." Sam said, checking Jimmy's pulse with two fingers. When he saw that everything was okay with Jimmy, he let him sit up. The towel around his waist hung low. Dean couldn't help but look. Jimmy noticed and pulled his towel tighter around his waist, breaking Dean's gaze. "You're freezing." Sam said, grabbing another towel and throwing it over Jimmy's shoulders. "I think you better get in some clothes and lay down." Sam leaned over Jimmy and grabbed his duffle bag. He knew his clothes would be way too big on Jimmy, but Dean didn't have any lounge about clothing. Sam pulled a plaid flannel from his bag and handed it to Jimmy. Jimmy took it graciously and tried to smile, but it only came out half way. Sam then threw him a pair of briefs from a new pack he had bought.

"Thanks, Sam." Jimmy waited another second before Sam handed him a pair of comfy sweats. He then tried standing up, but needed some help because his body felt so weak. Dean grabbed one arm while Sam grabbed the other. They lifted Jimmy up from the cold ground and made sure his towel didn't fall off in the process. The boys made sure that their friend was sound before leaving him to change. Sam left first, and after a few seconds of worrying wait, Dean followed out the door.

Jimmy held onto the porcelain rim of the sink just in case he decided to fall again. He rubbed his sore side and sighed heavily. "The perks of being strapped to a comet for so long." His mouth twitched into lonely smile. "I just want to see my family..."

Before long, Jimmy stepped out of the bathroom carefully. He was cleanly shaven, except a few nicks here and there, and fully clothed in warm, soft clothing. He held onto the wall as he walked back through the hallway back to the kitchen. Sam and Dean were sitting at the table. Sam was on his laptop, most likely looking up jobs in the area. Dean was cleaning up his gun. They both looked up when Jimmy stood in the doorway. Dean was especially bright eyed when he saw Jimmy, but his expression turned to sadness when reality hit.

"There's a blanket and pillow on the couch over there. Get some rest." Dean said gruffly, taking extra care in cleaning his gun. Jimmy pushed away from the doorway and looked over to the couch. Dean had been snoozing there earlier. He felt a little bad that he was taking over the only comfortable place to sleep in the abandoned house, but the brothers insisted so he walked over to the couch and sat down. Back in the kitchen, Sam closed his laptop and glared at Dean. "What?" Dean grumbled at him, setting his gun down.

"You could be a little nicer to Jimmy." Sam exclaimed. He took a sip from his beer. "I mean, sure we lost Cas-"

"Don't." Dean hissed. "Just Don't." Dean wadded up the cloth he was using to clean his gun up and threw it onto the counter. He then crossed his arms over his chest and looked over at Jimmy who was lying down on the couch with a wool blanket covering him. "I need to get him back, Sam." Dean said under his breath, but his brother caught it and gave him a sad look. "I promised him, Sam." Dean then stood up from his chair; he grabbed the car keys from the counter, and left the kitchen. He walked through the living room silently, making sure he didn't wake up Jimmy, and exited through the front door.

Outside it was already dark, but Dean could easily find his way over to his baby parked in the gravel driveway. "Oh, I've missed you." He leaned over and kissed the hood of the impala. He ran his fingers over the slick, black surface of the car before pulling the door handle and sliding into the driver's seat. The engine roared to life. Dean sighed with relief. His car hadn't taken a beating after the three years he had been in purgatory. He would have to thank Sam for that later. "Alright, Baby." Dean strummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "Time for a little drive." He revved the engine before putting his baby in reverse and hot tailing it out of the driveway onto the open highway.

The night was beautiful. Dean rolled his window down and let an elbow hang out. He had never missed the look of headlights on an empty highway as much as then. The road went on for miles. Farms were on either side of the highway. As Dean drove he thought about all the times Castiel would pop in while he was driving and give him company on the trips that Sam never made with him. He looked over to his passenger seat and sighed. His knuckles clenched on the stirring wheel as he drove through the darkness.

Dean drove for a long time before he found his way back to the abandoned farmhouse. It was pitch black by the time he made it back "home." He parked the impala in front of the house, taking extra care when closing his door. He crunched his feet in the gravel until he made it to the front porch. He paused when he got to the front door. Through the crack underneath the door he could see a small flickering light. He opened the door slowly and peered inside at the living room. A fire was started in the fireplace. Sam was sprawled out on a sleeping bad that was too small for him and Jimmy was sitting up on the semi-broken couch. He looked over at the doorway, slightly alert, but calmed down when Dean walked into the light of the fire.

"Hey." Dean walked up to Jimmy, and gave him his best half smile. "Sorry about all of this, man." Jimmy scooted over and Dean sat down. The flames of the fire lit up Dean's skin and warmed him. He leaned, elbows on his knees, and sighed. "It's just-"

"Really messed up." Jimmy finished Dean's sentence and leaned back on the couch. "Tell me about it." He pulled the wool blanket around him tighter. He looked over at Dean; his blue eyes caught some of the light. Dean almost kissed him then and there, but kept himself back because it wasn't Cas in front of him. It was Jimmy; a straight, married man. "Dean." Jimmy started. He broke Dean's thoughts and brought him back to reality. "You should get some sleep. I robbed you from that nap you were taking earlier." Jimmy stood up from the couch and handed over the wool blanket to Dean. "Really, go ahead." Dean silently nodded before grabbing the blanket and scooting down a little further on the couch.

"Thanks, Jimmy." He said softly. He looked up at the man before feeling the warmth of sleep taking over his body. Finally, after all the time he spent in purgatory, Dean was warm and relaxed. He didn't have to worry about leviathan and other monsters ambushing him in his sleep. He was okay. Dean gave Jimmy a weak smile before closing his eyes and dozing off to sleep.

Jimmy sighed heavily, and sat down in front of the couch between Sam and Dean. He rested his head on his knees and stared at the fire. It was so weird to feel everything around him. He had been in Castiel for so long that he almost forgot he was human. There were a couple times that he thought he wasn't going to make it. There was only so much beating that could be done to his body that an angel could fix. He still felt it all, felt every inch of skin being torn from his body, every stab wound and cut. He felt it all. Jimmy looked at his hands. They were trembling. Even then he could feel his body falling apart on him. i What am I going to say to Amelia? That I'm back, but I'm dying?/i Jimmy sighed, holding his face with his hands. He closed his eyes and fought the tears welling up to the surface. He then felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up; it was Dean staring back at him.

"Hey, it'll all work out somehow, Jim-boy." Dean sat up from the couch and knew that he wasn't going to get any sleep with his closest companion sitting there upset. Even though it wasn't really Castiel, Dean still felt the need to be there for Jimmy. He squeezed Jimmy's shoulder and smiled. "Get off the floor, we can share the couch." Dean scooted over on the couch and patted the cushion next to him. "I'm not that tired anyways."

"I'm fine." Jimmy said gruffly. He snuffed his nose and wiped his eyes. "Go back to sleep." He then turned his back towards Dean and stared back into the fire. Dean was a little shocked, but then grabbed Jimmy's shoulder again. He pulled the older man up to the couch with force. Jimmy stared, wide eyed at Dean. "Dean?"

"I have been around Cas so much that I know that look on your face right now means you are far from okay." Dean sat back against the couch and stared into the fire before looking back at Jimmy. Sam squirmed on the floor and grumbled something in his sleep. Dean kept his gaze stuck on Jimmy. "I can't just sit here and be happy with the situation, man." Dean confessed. "I need to get him back."

"I know." Jimmy rubbed his face and leaned back on the couch. Dean gave him a questioning look. "You and him. For how weird it is to me. You guys shared something. I don't know what, but I can see how you feel about him. I don't want to know what went on. I really don't." Dean could see Jimmy noticeably shiver with slight disgust. "Not my thing, Dean. Not my thing." He nervously laughed and Dean joined in. Sam moved a little more on the floor before lifting his head drowsily and glaring at his brother and Jimmy. The two stayed silent until Sam curled back into his sleeping bag and fell asleep. Jimmy sighed deeply and continued. "I just want to see my family, then-"

"Okay." Dean accepted Jimmy's terms. He crossed his arms over his chest and yawned. "I can do that." They didn't have to say anymore. Jimmy stood up from the couch and threw some wood into the fire. He looked back at Dean and tried to smile. Dean saw the attempt and half-smiled back. He yawned again and rolled his neck.

"Get some sleep, Dean." Jimmy said, leaning against the mantle above the fireplace. "Really, I'll be okay."

I'm dying.

I can feel it.

At least I can see my family before I go.

Jimmy Novak will cease to exist after this round.

This body belongs to Castiel.


	4. I'm Coming Home

_That normal life that I talked about was my dream, but dreams never come true. They just twist around and make life what it is. I wanted a family so I strived for it, and met my beautiful Amelia and we had Claire. Life was such a joy. _

_And then Castiel stepped into that life, into my body. _

_ I can say that I never wanted it, but then I would be lying. I could say that it wasn't the adventure I was looking for, but that would be a lie also. All I can say is that I turned to Castiel in the end and Castiel got the family life I strived for, except he had Dean and Sam instead of Amelia and Claire. That's life for you. _

_That's all I can say, really. _

Jimmy wandered around in the deep recesses of his mind. The world was foggy around the edges and he knew he had to be dreaming. Though, why the forest? He looked around, confused by his surroundings. The forest was dark, yet familiar in a way. He stood in a small opening with trees surrounding him. "Hello?" He called out. His voice echoed in the forest. It was completely silent. No wind, no animals, nothing. Absolutely nothing. "Is anyone there?" Jimmy turned around, looking out against the trees. He then heard a snap. He whipped his heard towards the noise and saw someone coming from the brush.

"Jim-" Jimmy heard his name being called from the same place where the figure was emerging.

"Hello?" He called out. He squinted to see the figure come to what light was in the forest. His eyes widened when he saw the figure fully. It was himself. Or, at least he thought. It looked like him, which meant only one thing. "Castiel?"

"Jimmy Novak?" Castiel looked up, deep circles colored the space underneath his eyes. His cheeks were sunken and his beard bushy. "Jimmy Novak?" He asked again, holding onto the tree for support. His trench coat was tattered at its ends and cut up at the shoulders, revealing the dirty white shirt underneath. He took a step forward and fell to his knees.

Jimmy gasped, running over to the angel. "Castiel?" He kneeled down next to his broken down self and laid a hand on his back. "Hey, what's going on?" Jimmy could feel Castiel trembling underneath his touch. "What the-?

"I'm dying." Castiel said. His words shook through Jimmy like an earthquake. i_Dying. I'm dying. _/i Castiel looked up at Jimmy. His brows were furrowed with uncertainty. Castiel tried standing up, but he was unable to. He sat against the tree and breathed in deeply. He leaned his head against the tree and cringed in pain. Jimmy patted him down and tried to figure out what to do.

"What do you need? What can I get you?" Jimmy asked, looking around him at the forest and not seeing anything of use. "Please, tell me." Jimmy begged. He saw Castiel's eyes flutter to the back of his head, but he smacked the angel's face and wake him up. "Hey! You can't die here. Dean is back home waiting for you to hop on back into my body. You can't leave him hanging. Especially when he-"

"He loves me." Castiel said. He pursed his lips together. "I need to keep going." Castiel said, forcing himself away from the tree and stumbling to his feet. Jimmy helped him up. "I need to get back to him." Castiel held onto Jimmy's arm and took a step forward, but his body was trembling so bad that he could only make it that one step before having to stop. He then looked at Jimmy with a stern face. "How is he?"

Jimmy held Cas up steadily. He stared in confusion at the angel in his broken down body. "He- he acts like he did the last time I met him." Jimmy sighed, helping Castiel walk forward. "He doesn't want me around. He wants you."

"He might only have you." Castiel said, pain was in his voice. "I need you-" Castiel peered into Jimmy's soul. "-to be there for him if anything happens to me." Castiel gripped Jimmy tight on the shoulder and let out a long wheezed breath.

"Woah- there. You will be all right. Come on." Jimmy tried pulling Castiel along, but his actions were futile as his body felt light and his vision was blurring. He stared at his hands and saw that they were becoming transparent. "No. no. no. no." He said over and over as his body drifted off and left Castiel behind in the forest.

"No! Castiel!" Jimmy shot up from the floor. He had a blanket thrown over him and a pillow just behind him. He looked around the room and saw light peering in from the windows of the old farmhouse. His body felt hot and sticky. He pulled at the flannel he was wearing. It was morning, which meant that it was also just a dream. Though, it felt so real for being a mere dream.

A moment later, Dean ran into the room, his eyes wide with anticipation. He had a toothbrush in his mouth and the toothpaste was foamed out the sides of his mouth.

"Did you say Cas?" He asked, brushing his teeth quickly before running over to the kitchen sink and spitting the foam out. He ran back over to Jimmy and kneeled in front of him.

Jimmy had a look of pure terror on his face. He didn't know how to react to what had just happened. Castiel was in that forest. He was hurt and dying. His grace was nearly empty. "Dean." Jimmy felt his shoulder burn from where Castiel touched it. He laid a hand on the fabric and look at Dean. "We're not going to make it." Jimmy coughed, his body racked forward and Dean caught him.

"What do you mean, Jim-boy?" Dean asked, helping Jimmy to the couch and sitting him down. "Did Cas talk to you? Did he get through?" Dean kneeled in front of Jimmy on the couch and looked up into the older man's eyes. "Jim, you have to tell me everything."

Jimmy took a deep breath. His head was pounding and about to black out from his weak body. "I think he took a part of me." Jimmy said, he clenched his shoulder and the burning subsided. He knew Castiel was low on grace and couldn't get any from heaven, so he had to use whatever life force he could. Jimmy was the closest and the most compatible. "He's almost out, but I think I helped him out a bit."

Dean knew exactly was Jimmy meant. He had a feeling that Castiel was going to run out eventually. He was already so low on grace before Dean had managed to get out. He stood up and patted Jimmy on the shoulder. "You gave us some time, that's good." Dean rubbed his eyes and sighed. "We'll go see Amelia and Claire today." He said before leaving the room and heading over to the kitchen to make some breakfast. Jimmy stood up and followed him.

"So…" Jimmy started, "What's the plan?" He asked. He pulled back a chair and sat down. His legs felt a bit like jelly.

"Sam's out researching some stuff."

"Oh, okay." Jimmy said, fumbling with the buttons on the large flannel shirt he was wearing. He wasn't sure what Sam was researching, but he knew it had to do with their angelic friend.

"And buying you some clothes." Dean pulled a few things from the cupboard, eggs from their cooler and a pan from the sink. "Then we can get out of here." Dean started mixing things together and cooked what looked like a type of omelet.

"That's good, I suppose." Jimmy rolled up his sleeves and stood up. "Anything I can help with?" He asked, standing beside Dean. Dean shook his head and looked into Jimmy's blue eyes. Jimmy looked back knowing that all Dean was seeing was the face of his angel, not the insignificant man from Pontiac Illinois.

"You can just sit tight." Dean then said. He moved the pan over the flames of the gas stove. A nice breakfast-like smell filled the kitchen and made Jimmy's mouth salivate. He licked his lips when Dean slopped half of the omelet on one plate and the other half on another plate. He carried them over to the table and set one in front of Jimmy. "Eat up. Sam should be back soon." Dean set his plate down before heading over to the cooler and grabbing a beer for himself and Jimmy. "It's going to be a long day." He said, popping the caps off and set the beers down on the table.

Dean and Jimmy sat there in blissful silence. I was nice to know that someone had your back when everything was going awry. When eleven o' clock rolled around that morning, Dean heard the soft purr of the impala's engine roll into the driveway. He stood up from the table and patted Jimmy playfully on the back when he walked by to greet hi brother. "What'ya got, Sammy?" Dean grabbed the grocery bag from Sam's arm and threw it over to Jimmy. "Get dressed, Jim-Boy!"

Jimmy looked inside the plastic bag to find some normal clothes that were the right size for his smaller body. He nodded at Sam in thanks and headed over to the bathroom to change. After a moment to himself, Jimmy stepped back into the living room with a dark blue shirt on and a pair of pants. He even got his own pair of briefs and socks. All that was left was shoes, which Sam had thoughtfully purchased as well. "Thank you." Jimmy said as he pulled his shoes onto his feet and smiled because they fit perfectly.

"No problem, man." Sam smiled. He pulled out a book from his laptop bag and handed it over to Dean. "Here's that book," he said under his breath. Jimmy watched the brothers discuss a plan privately and left them to their business. As long as they got him home to see his family one last time, he was fine with anything the Winchester brothers wanted to do. He just wished they would hurry up. His skin was itching from Castiel taking some of his soul to feed his grace.

"Let's hit the road, then!" Dean clapped his hands together with the book tucked under his arm. He looked over at Jimmy. This time his gaze wasn't sad, like he was staring at the face of a dead angel. It was hopeful, and Jimmy knew that was because he informed Dean that Castiel was still in purgatory, still there, alive, and ready to be saved.

They were on the road within the hour after packing up the house and stopping by a gas station to fuel up the car and grab some food for the road. Jimmy sat in the back seat while Sam sat up front next to Dean with the book in his lap. The road was fairly clear up until the impala hit the state limit around rush hour. Dean always hated rush hour because he had to actually go the speed limit to avoid getting pulled over by the cops. Early morning and late night were his favorite times to drive, especially on the winding backwoods. But to get Jimmy back to Illinois within a short time limit forced Dean to take the highway.

Jimmy leaned his head back against the seat cushions and stared out the back window of the impala at the vast sky. His head began to throb again and his cringed his eyes shut, leaning forward and placing his head in his hands and groaned. Dean glanced back quickly before returning his eyes to the road. "You okay, Jimmy?" He asked; worried Jimmy was going to pass out like he did the night before in the bathroom.

Jimmy groaned. His shoulder started to burn again and his ears pounding from the pain in his head. His breathing picked up and he soon slumped forward as his mind slipped back into purgatory, into the forest.

"Where are you now?" Castiel asked, Jimmy. They were both sitting against a tree near a flowing river. Jimmy looked around and sighed.

"Looks like I'm in that forest again." He said sarcastically. Castiel gave him a stern look. "We're in the car on the way to the Pontiac." Jimmy rubbed his shoulder. "Do you really need to keep doing that?" He asked as he rolled his neck from side to side, trying to shake the weird feeling from his body.

Castiel nodded. "My actions are keeping both you and myself alive at the moment." Jimmy's mouth gaped open in question. Castiel let out a deep breath. "I know I have ruined your body and without me inside, you are falling apart. I am sorry, Jimmy Novak." Castiel pushed against the tree's trunk and stood up. "When I take a part of your soul its about the same as what would happen if I were actually using your vessel. I'm ensuring that you live, and that I live so that we may reunite once more."

"I see." Jimmy said softly. "I think they found a way to get you back." Jimmy stood up next to Castiel and looked out against the water of the river. He felt uneasy about the rushing water. It had a kind of darkness to it, and he couldn't figure out the reason as to why he felt that way. He looked over at Castiel, who had the same uneasy expression as his own. " They are keeping it a secret from me. Maybe because they think I will be hurt. Right now, though, I don't think anything could be a shock to me. We're on our way to see Amelia and Claire before we go through with it."

Castiel nodded. "I understand." Before Jimmy could ask anything more of Castiel, to see how he was doing, and get more information about where he was, Jimmy blinked and opened his eyes to see the ceiling inside of the impala. He sat up quickly and realized that the car wasn't moving. Dean had parked the car on the side of the road and he was leaning into the backseat over Jimmy.

"Jimmy, you all here?" Dean asked frantically, held Jimmy's shoulders and shook them slightly.

"You just passed out, man." Sam said, brows furrowed and forehead wrinkled with worry. "What is happening with you?" Sam closed the book in his lap and grabbed a water bottle out of the small cooler behind his seat. He handed it over to Jimmy. Jimmy uncapped he bottle and took a sip. He looked out the window and asked to step outside.

When they all exited the car, Jimmy doubled over and caught his breath. He held the water bottle tightly in his hand. Sam helped him stand while Dean stood worriedly at his side. "It was Castiel again." He said, while taking in deep breaths and calming his body. "He's just waiting on you guys to hurry up." Jimmy said, his voice elevating with annoyance. He forced out a smile and swayed on his feet. He let out a large sigh and then chugged down the water bottle. He crunched it before staring at the two Winchester brothers.

"Wait." Dean said sternly. "Where is he waiting? How do you keep seeing him?"

"We have this kind of connection." Jimmy leaned against the impala's door. His legs were feeling weak once more as he felt more of his energy being drained from him. "Sometimes I just show up in this forest and-" Jimmy stopped when he saw Dean's expression. His eyes were wide, almost in a frightful way. Jimmy continued as he raised his eyebrow. "-and he's just there by this river."

"He stayed there." Dean said under his breath as he moved to the driver's side of the impala and sat down inside the car. He was shocked that Castiel had stayed in the exact same spot as where Dean saw him last. Sam watched Dean and then turned his attention to Jimmy, who looked a little less than okay.

"Are you good to get back on the road?" He asked, patting Jimmy on the shoulder and half-grinning at the man. "The faster we get there, the better our chances will be." Sam knew the truth was harsh, but he wanted Castiel back as well. It wasn't like Jimmy wasn't a great guy. He just wasn't the angel that they needed on their side.

"Yeah, I'm good." Jimmy said, even though he was lying. His head was spinning around a million miles a minute. He could feel his body getting colder with each passing hour. He didn't know how much more he could take before he finally gave up and Castiel didn't have a body to return to. "Let's go." Jimmy got into the back seat and rested his head against the cushion. Sam climbed into the impala as well and they were off down the road to Pontiac, Illinois. Jimmy looked through the rear window and watched the clouds roll by into a purple and red sunset.

_I'm coming home_.


	5. It's Time to Move On

_I can feel him creeping right underneath my skin. _

_ Castiel is out there in that forest, just waiting for Sam and Dean to figure out something. _

_ I think they are almost too that point, though. _

_ I hope they are. _

_I mean I am ready to get out of there and move on. _

_We all need to move on sometimes._

They were nearly there. Nearly back to Pontiac, Illinois where Jimmy Novak's family still lived. Just a few miles out of town, Dean pulled into the parking lot of a small motel. He parked the impala and quickly ran up to the motel office to get a room for the night. He figured that they would probably be staying in Pontiac for at least that night, if not another. Any longer and he would lose his mind thinking about what was happening with Castiel in purgatory.

"One room, ma'am." Dean said, placing a few green bills down on the counter. "Keep the change, sweetie." He winked at the woman behind the desk as she smiled and handed over a room key. He took the key and returned to the car where Sam and Jimmy were unpacking the trunk and lugging bags towards Dean. "Room eleven." Dean said, taking a bag for Jimmy and heading over to their designated room. "Home sweet home, at least for tonight." Dean said as he opened the door of the motel room and flipped the switch. The dim lights in the room flickered to life.

Sam set the bags down near the table by the window. Jimmy carried his own bag, with his clothes in it, over to the far bed and set it down. He then sat down on the bed and shrugged his jacket off. He rolled his neck a few times and took a deep breath.

"You alright over there, Jimmy?" Sam asked, noticing that Jimmy looked haggard. "Get some rest. If Cas really is draining you for strength, then sleeping should do the trick to get you back on your feet steadily." Sam glanced over at Dean who was peering out the window. It was still daylight out, but Dean was always on high alert.

"When are we going to see Amelia and Claire?" Jimmy asked. He pushed his shoes off his feet and leaned back on the bed, before bringing his legs up and fully laying down on the bed.

"We will head over there in about an hour. You can sleep a little bit until then." Dean said, closing the thick curtain to the only window in the room. He turned the light off in the room so that Jimmy could rest easily. Once Jimmy was comfortable, he nodded off into a light sleep. Dean signaled to Sam for him to grab the book they had for research and follow him back to the car. They walked out of the room and locked the door behind them. The sun was high in the sky when the two Winchester brothers discussed plans of action over the hood of the Impala.

"Right here is says something about Angels being sent to a place of monsters to save the humans caught there." Sam said matter-of-factly. "At first, I thought that it was just talking about Hell and how Cas got you out the first time, but I dug a little deeper and realized it was talking about purgatory." Sam scooted the book over towards Dean and pointed to the text next to a large picture that depicted vampires, werewolves, and every other monster out there, with a tortured human in the middle of it all. "It says, 'A place where monsters go to rest, but are always hunted.'"

Dean pondered that for a moment. It sounded like purgatory to him. "Alright, what else do you got? Anything on how to get an angel out?" Dean wanted the straight up facts. He didn't care about all the other tidbits of information that his brother came across. He just wanted Castiel. That was all he wanted from the beginning.

"That's the thing, Dean. It only says that an angel can 'raise man from the depths of the forest.' It doesn't say anything about getting an angel out. This might be the only case of something like this ever happening." Sam pulled the book back over the top of the impala and looked closer at the text. He flipped a few pages and then sighed. "The most I can get out of this about an angel is something about a 'holy light' and something else that I can't make out." Sam shrugged and looked up at Dean for some input.

"How the hell does this help any, Sam? Cas is dying out there, and we've got nothing." Dean slammed his hands down on the slick, black surface of the impala and clenched his teeth together. "Dammit." Dean raised his fisted hand to his mouth and bit at his knuckle. His mind raced through possibly scenarios of getting Castiel back. Sell his soul? No. He didn't want to deal with Crowley. Somehow get back to purgatory? Would he risk no being able to get back? Everything was just out of reach.

"Wait, Dean." Dean looked up and saw Sam frantically flipping pages back and fourth. "I think I found something." Sam stopped on one page and held the book up for Dean to see. "You see this." Sam pointed to the slightly faded scribbles in the margins of the book. "I think it's a list of ingredients." Sam turned the book back towards him and looked very closely. "The blackened petals of a flower from a loved one, sand from a parched desert, blood from scarlet cheeks, the feather of an angel, and sacrificial blood." Sam squinted at the last part of the list. "Together as the sun crosses the horizon." Sam looked up at Dean with amazement on his face. "Dean, I think we found it. These things aren't hard to get either."

Dean bared his teeth in a smile. "We're getting' Cas back!" Dean fisted the air and turned on his feet. It had only been about a half hour since he and Sam discussed their plan of action. They would give Jimmy some more time for rest, but Dean was raring to go. The two brothers walked back to the room. Dean asked Sam to do some "shopping" and look for the ingredients they needed while he went with Jimmy to go see Amelia and Claire.

Once those next thirty minutes were up, Dean rolled Jimmy over and woke him up. "Rise and shine, time to get to business." Dean clapped his hands loudly so that the noise was all Jimmy heard. When Jimmy woke up he grumbled and wiped the sleepy crumbs from the edges of his eyes. When the thought of seeing Amelia and Claire hit his mind, he was awake and alert. He quickly stood up from the bed. Dean had to catch him before he fell back to the bed from the dizzying light-headedness he felt. He steadied Jimmy and smiled. "They're right in town. Are you ready?" Dean patted Jimmy on his shoulder before ruffling his brown hair and walking off towards the door of the motel room.

Jimmy smiled brightly. For the first time, he was happy. Even though he was going to give himself up to the angel in the forest after the visit with his wife, he was surprisingly okay. "I'm ready." Jimmy said as he pulled on his jacket and slipped into his shoes. He followed Dean out the door with a smile still on his face. Outside the sun was too harsh for Jimmy's eyes. He squinted until he got into the backseat of the impala and the brothers climbed inside as well.

Jimmy's hometown wasn't too far away from the motel they were staying in. Jimmy reveled in the memories of the town's main streets and back roads. He couldn't help but grin when Dean turned the impala down his street. The house was in sight by then and Jimmy was getting nervous. He hopped nervously in the backseat and bit his lip. He kept asking if he looked all right, and Dean always replied with a snarky comment about how his hair was disheveled and his clothes wrinkly, when none of that was true.

"Just ignore him, your wife won't care. She hasn't seen you in, what? Almost ten years now?" Sam looked out his window for a second and thought back through the years. So much had happened since then and it was a miracle that Jimmy even still existed after all that had been done to Castiel.

"Ten years." Jimmy said softly in the back seat. "I haven't seen Amelia or Claire in ten years." The sheer thought of all that time that had passes hit Jimmy like a ton of bricks. His wife may have remarried. Claire would be much older. Would they even remember him? "On second thought, guys-"

"No way. You're seeing them, Jim-Boy. They deserve to know that you're okay." Dean glanced back at Jimmy for a second before getting his eyes back to the road. Just around the curve in the road was Jimmy's house. They were almost there. Jimmy ran his hands through his hair to calm it down a bit, but the front just curled up like normal. Dean spotted the house and pulled into the driveway. The engine's sound was enough to stir the inhabitants of the house. The curtain in the front window pulled back and a woman peered out.

When Dean shut the car off, he looked back at Jimmy one last time, making sure he was okay, and then opened the door and pulled the seat forward. "Coming?" Jimmy climbed out of the back seat of the impala, tripping over the lip of the doorway. Dean caught him just in time and started laughing. He set Jimmy straight on his feet and stepped away. By then the woman in the window was standing in the doorway. Her face was older than Jimmy had remembered. He stood tall and walked up to the doorway of the house.

"J-Jimmy?" She asked; her eyes were wide in confusion. "Honey, is that you?" The last time she had seen her husband he was bleeding out from a wound that she had inflicted upon him. Sure it wasn't really her as she was being possessed, but she felt responsible for all of it. Jimmy stepped up to her and took her into his arms. He felt so young compared to his wife. It was like time had stopped all together for him and just kept on moving for her.

"It's me, Amelia. At least for a little while longer, it's me." Jimmy felt Amelia wrap her arms around him and squeeze. He then felt her body shake in his arms as she started crying. He pulled back and gave his wife a sad smile. "It's okay, Amelia. It'll be okay." He held his hands up to cup her cheek and wiped away her tears with his thumb.

"What happened? Why are you-" Amelia pushed back on Jimmy's chest and held her hands at his shoulders. "You haven't changed at all." She ran her hands up his neck and held his face in her hands. "What happened to that angel?"

"That's why I said I was me for a while longer." Jimmy said, sadly. "I know there is so much you want to talk about, but-" Jimmy rubbed his face into her warm hands. "I've missed you so much." He avoided the reasoning as to why he came back. To see his family one last time before he was gone for good.

"Oh, Jimmy." Amelia smiled, tears were still pouring down her cheeks. She then looked over Jimmy's shoulder and saw the Winchester brothers. "Come inside." She said, pulling Jimmy into the house. "All of you." She called back to the brothers. Dean followed them into the house. He looked back at Sam and chucked the car keys for him to catch.

"I have some things I need to get done." Sam excused himself. Jimmy knew it had to do with getting Castiel back in some way, so he waved goodbye for the moment. Dean nodded towards Sam and Amelia just frowned. She continued farther into the house. Dean closed the door behind him and soon heard the roar of the impala's engine.

"Where's Claire?" Jimmy asked, looking around the house. It wasn't much different from the last time he saw it, the furniture was a little worn, but what could be done about his ten-year absence?

"She's off at college." Amelia said, walking into the kitchen and grabbing some lemonade from the fridge.

"College." Jimmy said with a small smile. He leaned against the counter. "My little girl is all grown up."

"Yeah, she's doing good, Jimmy." Amelia poured three glasses and handed two over to Jimmy and Dean. "I'm doing good. I was doing good." She sipped on her drink and then placed it on the counter gently. "I really was." That was when Amelia started crying again. Jimmy was automatically at her side and embracing her tightly. Dean felt like the odd one out, so he stepped out from the kitchen and wandered to the front room. He looked around and saw pictures hanging on the wall. Most of the pictures were of Amelia and Claire, but there was one with finger smudges all over it. It was Jimmy and Amelia's wedding photo. Dean placed his fingertips on the glass covering the image and sighed.

"She never moved on." He said sadly. He took a step back and looked at all the other photos. Then Jimmy walked into the room and cleared his throat. "What's up, Jim-boy?"

Jimmy's expression was sad. "She wants me to leave."

"She what-? We have only been here for, like, fifteen minutes."

"I know, Dean, but-" Jimmy's words got caught in his throat. "We need to go."

"Alright, man. Let me get a hold of Sam. He can't be too far away." Dean reached into his pocket and pulled his cellphone out. He quickly dialed Sam's number and held the phone up to his ear. "Yeah, Sammy." Dean said gruffly. "Yeah. We can get it later." Dean turned away from Jimmy and looked back at the pictures hanging on the wall. "Yeah, see you soon." Dena pulled the phone away and snapped it shut.

"Thanks, Dean."

"Anytime, Jim-boy." Dean slung an arm around Jimmy's shoulder and headed for the front door. Jimmy hung his head down low and sighed when they left the house. Dean was worried about him and about how they left the situation with his family. "You alright?" He asked Jimmy when they got to the sidewalk. "No regrets?" It was a dumb question, but Jimmy just shrugged. It was what it was. There was nothing left for him.

"I'll be alright. Once everything is done, you'll get Castiel back and I will just disappear." Jimmy's chin was quivering like he was holding back his screams. He took one last look at his old home and saw Amelia looking from he window. He tried giving her his best smile, but he just couldn't accomplish anything that resembled happiness. Because he just wasn't happy. He was dying and no one cared. _Well, maybe Sam cares a bit._Jimmy thought and then shrugged Dean's arm off his shoulders when he saw the impala coming to a stop at the curb in front of them. Jimmy quickly opened the door and pulled the seat forward to climb into the back seat. Sam switched places with Dean and they were off.

"What happened?" Sam asked Jimmy when they were on the road once more. Jimmy was just a ball of distress in the back seat of the impala.

"Let's all share out feelings." Dean rolled his eyes, even though he had just asked Jimmy if he was all right and what not. He strummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "Jim-boy, how about a drink or two?" Dean eyed a few places down the road. He remembered seeing a small bar just down a ways from the motel they were staying at. "I know I can. How bout' you, Sammy?"

"Whatever, Dean." Sam huffed, clearly agitated by Dean's absent compassion for their dying friend. Dean glanced in the rear view mirror. Jimmy shrugged. It was a done deal. Dean couldn't handle all of the general gloom inside the impala. They needed drinks; strong, hard drinks.


	6. This is My End

_ Some of these things that go on in my life don't make sense._

_ Like why I ever said yes to an angel. _

_ Or why I left my family. _

_ But this is life, and life is short. _

_ Life is extremely short. _

After the bar, Sam drove his drunken brother, and an equally drunk Jimmy, back to the motel. He parked the car close to their room and pulled the keys from the ignition. He sighed heavily. He didn't even enjoy the single drink he had at the bar because of the bumbling drunks. Sam exited the car and helped Jimmy stumble out of the backseat of the impala. He watched Dean fall out of the passenger seat. He staggered over to Jimmy and slung his arm over the man's shoulder. Jimmy returned the favor by hooking an arm around Dean's waist. They carried each other into the motel room sloppily. Sam followed them and made sure that they didn't fall back on their asses.

"Lighten up, Sammy!" Dean yelled back to his brother. "You should have drank more like me and Jim-Boy, here." Dean grabbed Jimmy's face and squished his cheeks. He then playfully smacked Jimmy and started laughing, which caused Jimmy to start laughing as well. Sam closed the door behind them and locked it. He pulled his coat off and threw it on his bed. Sam sat down at the table near the door of the room. He opened his laptop and started searching for the ingredients they needed to summon an angel from purgatory. Dean and Jimmy were lying back on the far bed and laughing hysterically.

Soon the noise got to be too much for Sam and he just couldn't stay in the room any longer. He had not had enough to drink to deal with two drunks, let alone just Dean. He shut his laptop roughly. "I'll be back." He grabbed his coat and slipped his arms through the sleeves. He picked up the impala's keys and headed out the door. Dean and Jimmy abruptly stopped laughing to head the door slam, it when started up again.

"Man, I'm gonna miss you!" Dean turned on his side and stared at Jimmy. The room suddenly went silent as the though of it all settled in. "Sorry." Dean frowned.

"It's alright." Jimmy pulled himself up from the bead and leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. "Really, It's-"

Dean quickly sat up. "Jimmy?" He leaned over to see Jimmy's face. The man was wide-eyed and teary. His eyes were blurred with salty tears, "Hey, come on. Guy's don't cry, man." Dean placed a hand on Jimmy's back and rubbed it in a circle slowly. The motion had always calmed Sam down when things got rough. Dean hoped it would work for Jimmy as well. Everything fell apart instead. Jimmy doubled over and large tears fell from his eyes.

"I can't." Jimmy sucked in a hard breath. He sat straight. "My wife- She moved on." Jimmy looked over at Dean. "-and I am dying." Jimmy shrugged from his coat, thus removing Dean hand from his back. He threw the coat to the ground. "I don't want to die, but I can feel him pulling at me from that place." Jimmy grabbed his chest and pulled at his shirt. "I can feel him, Dean. Why is this happening?"

"Jim- I-." Dean went to wipe away the tears on Jimmy's face, but he stopped himself because it wasn't Castiel in front of him. "I can't say anything to fix this." Dean stood up to leave. He didn't know where he was going to go, but he had to get out of there before he did something stupid. As he stood, Jimmy grabbed his hand, stopping him from leaving. The feel of Jimmy's hand on his reminded him of Cas. Reminded him of whom he was fighting to get back.

"Dean, I know you- you and Castiel."

"Don't." Dean tried to pull his hand away, but Jimmy's grip held steady.

"Dean, please look at me." Jimmy pulled at Dean's hand and made him sit back down, but even then, Dean didn't want to look at Jimmy. Jimmy sighed and let go of Dean's hand. "This face." Jimmy started as he touched his face. Dean then looked over. "This face isn't mine anymore, it's his. This is the face you love." Jimmy then touched his chest. "And this body, too." Dean shook his head, trying to tell Jimmy that he didn't care whose body it was. They were two completely different people.

"Cas, he- I need him back here with me." Dean confessed. "It's scary- dying. I've done more of that than anyone else I know-"

"But you come back-"

"And you will too, it may not be here, maybe in heaven. Trust me, it's a much better place than this shit hole." Dean was telling the truth. It was the only thing he could do to comfort Jimmy. "So just bare with me a little bit longer and I promise you that everything will be okay." Dean leaned over and nudged Jimmy. "I promise, man."

Jimmy let out a sigh that turned into a laugh. He looked Dean straight in the eyes with a look that said 'thank you.' Dean then leaned in closer and did something that he felt was right, but knew there would be a consequence. He gently kissed Jimmy on the lips and pulled back. The two shared a gaze for a moment before Jimmy ran his fingers through Dean's hair, locked his fingers behind the hunter's head and pulled him into another kiss, tasting the whiskey on Dean's breath. It was short and sweet, and all sorts of awkward when they finally parted. They both felt like it was just right, yet extremely wrong. But with both of them being drunk, they just pulled away from each other and sat back on the bed.

"So I guess this is it?" Dean bit his bottom lip and ran his tongue over his teeth. He remembered that taste, the taste of Castiel, but all that time, it was the taste of Jimmy Novak.

"I guess so." Jimmy sighed and wiped his mouth. He stood up and fixed his shirt. His face was red from blushing when he looked down at Dean. A million thoughts were racing through his head. He couldn't believe all that was happening. He wasn't gay. He was married, or used to be. He was a strong believer in his faith, which did not allow such things as being with another man. Why did everything feel so right with Dean, just as it had felt right to be with Amelia? "Uh- I have to go to the bathroom." Jimmy quickly walked over to the bathroom and shut the door behind him. He breathed roughly in the beginning stages of his freak out. Soon there was a soft knock on the door.

Dean stood outside the door, forehead pressed against the old wood. "Jimmy. I'm sorry for everything." Dean knocked on the door to the bathroom once more. "It's just- we're both not ourselves right now." Dean let out a nervous chuckle. He then sighed, pulling his head away from the door. "Dammit."

"I'm not him." Came the muffled voice from the other side of the door. "We're separate people." Jimmy said. His voice was shaking.

"I know." Dean rested his hand on the door handle. When it turned in his grasp, he was surprised to find it unlocked. He pulled the door wide open and saw Jimmy sitting against the bathroom wall. His face was in his hands. Dean stepped inside and Jimmy looked up. His face was a deathly pallor, which frightened Dean. Jimmy let out a deep breath, like he had been holding it in. He slumped over on his side. Dean jumped forward, catching Jimmy before he crashed to the tiled floor. Dean's drunkenness had faded away by then from the small amount of fresh air he got outside. He pulled Jimmy up from the floor and saw that he was trembling. He cupped Jimmy's cheek and felt his cold skin. "Not again!" Dean growled and pulled Jimmy from the bathroom. He dragged Jimmy over to the bed and set him down. He patted down his friend to figure out what was wrong, but he was pretty sure that Castiel was draining him from the other side again. "Cas, you gotta stop this. You're killing him." Dean prayed.

_"I cannot stop, Dean. If I do I will die." _ Dean heard Castiel's voice. It shook him to his core. He knew it was Castiel replying, but how?

"Cas?" Dean called out, placing a hand on Jimmy's trembling body. When there was no response, Dean shook his head back and forth to get rid of the sickening feeling that welled up inside of him. Dean smacked Jimmy's cheek to get a response, but Jimmy only stirred. "Come on, Jimmy." Dean clenched his teeth together. He searched his pockets for his phone, but it wasn't there. He got up and searched the room until finally finding it on the ledge of the window. He fumbled the phone in his hands before flipping it open and dialing for Sam. He held it to his ear and then Sam answered.

_ Dean? What's going on? I'm not buying you any more booze. _

"Shut up, Sam." Dean growled into the phone. "We have a problem with Jim-boy." Dean glanced back at the bed and heard Jimmy groan. "He went all Victor Frankenstein and passed out again."

Dean heard Sam sigh into the phone. _Dean, he's drunk. Of course he passed out. _

"Sam, listen to me. Cas is draining him again." Dean walked back over to Jimmy. He placed the back of his hand on Jimmy's forehead. His temperature was through the roof. Dean cursed into the phone. That was when Jimmy's eyes shot wide open and a bright blue light escaped. Dean stood back, bewildered. He had seen this light before and it wasn't anything good. It was grace. Grace was escaping Jimmy's body, which meant the hold that Castiel and Jimmy had on each other was broken and someone was dying.

"Sam, we have a problem."

"Ah-!" Castiel was slammed back into the brush. He felt the bushes crack underneath his weight. He struggled to get up from the foliage. Once he was out he looked around him and saw that several leviathan, not just the one who threw him to the ground, surrounded him. He swayed on his feet before them and raised his hands in defense.

"We've got you, Angel." One leviathan spoke. They circled around Castiel, heads back and teeth bared. Castiel stood back, but there were more behind him, forcing him into the middle of the group. i _Cas… /i _ Castiel looked around, searching for the voice he just heard. Dean's voice rang in his head. He instantly perked up and stood straight and tall. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I'm sorry, Jimmy." Castiel said under his breath as his body started to glow. He spread his arms wide as the light enveloped him and then burst out in pulses. He knew his grace only worked to spite demons, but that didn't mean he could temporarily get rid of the leviathan. The light shrouded everything and the leviathan shrieked. When the light faded, they were gone. Castiel stood for a moment before he let out a sigh of relief and collapsed.

That was it. That was all of it. That was all of his grace. What remained was given to Jimmy to keep him going for a little longer. As for Castiel, he was done. He was empty. "Dean…." He said, before the darkness of the forest took him over.

"Sam! Get your ass in here!" Dean yelled as loud as he could when he saw the headlights of the Impala shine into the window of the motel room. He held Jimmy tightly against him. The man had started seizing on the bed and Dean was afraid he was going to break his bones if he hadn't kept him still. Although, even with his arms wrapped tightly around the other man, Jimmy's strength was overwhelming. "Sam!"

Sam burst in through the door holding a large brown paper bag. He threw it on the table and it made a loud clunk before settling. Sam raced over to Dean, hands spread at his side. "What happened?" He pulled at Dean's arms to get to Jimmy. "Dean, let me see him." Dean loosened his grip and showed Jimmy to Sam. The fits of shakes still racked through Jimmy's body. Sam squinted at the light coming from Jimmy's eyes. Dean pulled Jimmy back into a tight embrace and gave his brother a weary look.

"It's grace, Sam. He's just a normal guy. Why does he have grace?" Dean asked frantically. Another convulsing shake ran through Jimmy's body. Dean's arms strained against the sheer force of Jimmy's seizure.

"Put him on the bed." Sam said, pointing at the bed. Dean questioned his brother, but went along with it since his arms were growing tired. Sam stood back and thoughts rushed through his mind. He thought about seizures. What did people do to help when someone was having a seizure? Sam proceeded to grab pillows and shove them around Jimmy, stabilizing him on all sides. He made sure Jimmy was on his side, which prevented the victim of a seizure from choking on their own tongue. When Sam stepped away, Jimmy stopped convulsing. He was stiff and light was seeping from his pores. "All right, uh-" Sam looked back at his brother. "I think this is that divine light the book was talking about." Sam nervously chuckled, then saw Dean roll his eyes. "We need to do it now, Dean." Sam eyed the bag on the table by the front window.

Dean stayed at Jimmy's side while Sam quickly ran over to the table and dumped the items from the large brown bag. A wilted bouquet of flowers fell from the bag, along with a small bottle of what looked like sand. A single black feather floated down to the table and then Sam pulled out a bowl and the opened the book to the correct page. "Didn't it say something about a sunrise?" Dean peered past his brother and saw that it was still very much night out. "Sam, everything has to be just as it says in the book." Dean took a step back from Jimmy to help his brother out, but a hand quickly grabbed the fabric of his long sleeved over shirt. "What-?" Dean looked down and it was Jimmy grabbing tightly to his shirt.

"Dean." His voice was shaky. "Dean, please just do it- I can't take this anymore." Jimmy's wide eyes were blood shot, which made his blue eyes even more vibrant. "Please, it hurts." Jimmy coughed and blood splattered onto the white sheets on the bed. Jimmy's grip on Dean then went slack.

Dean's heart dropped. He stopped breathing for a moment. His fell to his knees next to the bed hugged Jimmy. "Do it, Sam!" Dean yelled. He held tightly onto Jimmy, feeling the man grow colder and colder with each passing moment. He looked at him with blurry, tear filled eyes. The only color that was left in Jimmy was in his cheeks. Dean glanced over to Sam and saw his brother frantically spilling the sand into the bowl, throwing the feather in and crushing some wilted flower petals into the bowl. Next he carried the bowl over to Dean and Jimmy. "The blood is next." Dean said. He searched for his switchblade in his pocket and sliced his hand wide open. Sam held the bowl and Dean squeezed his hand, pouring blood into the mix. "Is that it?" He asked, turning his attention back to Jimmy.

"No, I need his blood." Sam flipped the pages of the book back and forth. "Blood from scarlet cheeks." He read. He set the bowl down next to Jimmy's face. "Do you want me to-?" He looked at Dean and the hunter shook his head. He cleaned his blade off on his shirt and then cupped Jimmy's face in his hands. The blood dripping from his own wound smeared on Jimmy's face. He carefully slid the sharp blade on Jimmy's skin and blood leaked from the wound.

"Jim-Boy, this looks like goodbye. I'm so sorry, man." Dean said softly. Sam caught Jimmy's blood in the bowl and then quickly took the bowl back over to the table. He turned to the next page in the book and recited a few words to complete the summoning spell. The ingredients in the bowl sparked and Sam stood back. He looked over to his brother who was taking his hands away from Jimmy's face. He saw the man's face go slack.

The room was silent.

The room was eerily silent.

"Son of a bitch." Dean cursed. He sat back on the ground and shoved is palms to his eyes. He rubbed away the heat from the forming tears. "Dammit." Dean threw his fists to the ground. His shoulder shook as he took in a deep breath. The room was still silent around him. Sam quietly walked to the bed and leaned down to check Jimmy's pulse. He frowned and calmly sat down next to his brother.

"Dean, it was a slim chance." Sam pursed his lips and nudged his brother to make sure he was still coherent and not completely lost. "What are we going to do about his bod-" Sam was cut off when his brother shot him an overwhelming death glare.

"Cas has to have a body to come back to." Dean growled. He stood up and began to wipe the blood from Jimmy's lips. He fixed the man's shirt and wiped his thumb over the cut on his cheek. "He needs Jimmy."

Sam frowned and tried to pull his brother away from their dead friend on the bed. "Dean, Cas can't come back to a dead vess-" Suddenly a light filled the room and the brother's stood back. Dean watched Jimmy carefully and saw him rise up from the bed and suck in a deep breath. When he sat up on his own, he looked around and blinked at the brothers.

"Jimmy?" Dean asked softly. He went to place his hand on the man's shoulder, but kept back when he looked at him with sad looking blue eyes.

"Hello, Dean." Dean froze at the sound of his name.

"C-Cas?" Dean's hand shook until Castiel grabbed his hand with his own. Dean sat down on the bed next to Castiel and his shoulders rose and fell as he tried to calm himself down. He intertwined his fingers with Castiel's and rose both hands to his lips and kissed the back of Castiel's before taking in a deep breath. "I thought it wouldn't work. I thought-" Castiel paused Dean for a moment when he took his hand away and flexed his fingers.

"I am amazed that it did work." Castiel pulled at his clothes wondering where his old clothing went. He looked up at Sam. "Sam." He nodded in hello.

"Hey, Cas." Sam was still holding the old, leather bound book in his hands. He looked at it with a sad expression and then set it down on the bedside table. Sam then sat down on the other bed and rubbed his eyes. When he pulled his hands away from his face he looked at his brother. They were both thinking the same thing, but Sam knew that Dean wasn't going to ask because he was content with the fact that he had Castiel back. So Sam asked. "What happened to Jimmy?"

Dean perked up and looked over to Castiel. "Cas?" Castiel was silent for a moment, like he was looking for the right words to say, or he was searching his body for any trace of their old friend. "Please tell me we didn't kill the poor guy."

"That spell you found, it saved me, but unfortunately forced him from his body. If it were performed at the right time-" Castiel gazed out the front window and saw the light of the sunrise gently peering over the horizon. "He would still be here." Castiel placed a hand on his chest. He closed his eyes, searching for Jimmy once more. "But he left. I believe he is with my father, now."

Dean and Sam sighed. They couldn't save Jimmy after all. "It's for the best." Sam said, standing up from the bed and rubbing his hands together. "He said it was like being chained to a comet." Sam picked up the book once more and put it inside his duffle bag for further use in the future. "He's finally in a good place." Dean nodded and grabbed Castiel's hand. He stared into his angel's eyes and saw a part of Jimmy in them. He looked over to Sam and his brother cleared his throat. "I'll be outside." He said before leaving the motel room.

Dean then pulled Castiel into a bone-crushing hug. The very essence of him was completely different than Jimmy, and he was grateful for that. He wasn't sure if he would handle having the feeling of gain and loss all wrapped into one person. Dean pulled back and held Castiel's face in his hands. There was no need for words. They closed the space between them with a long awaited kiss.

_ I stood at the edge of something that I thought I would never be able to see. My bare feet felt airy on the soft, white misty cloud beneath me. Before me were large, towering gates. They shined with an ethereal light that made my eyes tear up. _

_"Welcome home, Jimmy Novak." Said the voice in my head. "Welcome home." _

_ I once had a relatively normal life. I had a beautiful wife, Amelia. I had a smart, little girl, Claire. I was as devoted to my family as I was to God. I had a normal life until I was chosen for something greater. _

_Then I met Castiel the angel and soon after the Winchester brothers. My life had been far from normal, but I knew that one thing in my life would stay constant: _

_My name is Jimmy Novak, and I am from Pontiac, Illinois. _

**The End**


End file.
